Taking an antioxidant medley with antiretroviral therapy (ART) furthered immune reconstitution and began to reverse mitochondrial damage in an 8-week placebo-controlled study of 25 adults on stable antiretrovirals [1]. Insulin resistance also improved during supplementation.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and two Miami centers planned this pilot trial because HIV infection and long-term antiretroviral therapy have been linked to increased mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress. Mitochondrial DNA damage mediates an array of treatment-related side effects; is also increases oxygen-free radicals and reactive oxygen species, and the resulting oxidative stress further damages mitochondrial DNA. Some previous research suggests that antioxidant and micronutrient supplementation improves antiretroviral-induced immunologic and virologic responses.

The investigators enrolled 14 men and 11 women on a stable antiretroviral regimen with a viral load below 50 copies. The group's age averaged 48.9 years (+/- 5.2 standard deviation) and CD4 count 506 (+/- 155).